J. R. R. Tolkien Monograph by Fabian Geier
Short introductions to Tolkien’s life and work remain an important gateway for new readers, and Fabian Geier’s monograph offers just that in a clear and accessible format. Published as part of the well-known Rowohlt series, this concise study presents both a biographical overview and an introduction to Tolkien’s major writings, drawing on the author’s own words to illuminate his ideas. For those looking for a compact yet insightful guide, this monograph provides a thoughtful starting point into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Rowohlt Verlage has over 600 titles in its monographs series. In August 2009 they published a monograph about J.R.R. Tolkien, written by Fabian Geier and released in German. We know Fabian Geier from his essays in Hither Shore and his essay in Tolkien's Shorter Works (Cormarë Series No. 17) from Walking Tree Publishers.
Short description:
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892 - 1973) was for over 30 years Professor of Middle-English Literature in Oxford. However he did not become famous as a scholar, but as literary author: He invented the fantasy world of the "Hobbits" and created the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings", a classic that became a mile-stone in Fantasy Literature.
About the author:
Fabian Geier, born in 1976, has studied Philosophy, English Linguistics, Pedagogic and music sciences in Würzburg, Heidelberg and Warwick. Graduated in 2006. Training activity in Mannheim, Heidelberg, Witten/Herdecke, Duisburg/Essen. Since 2008 he is a scientific assistant for philosophy at the University of Bamberg.
The concept of the book is the same as for most Rowohlt Monographs. It is a short biography and introduction to the works by J.R.R. Tolkien on approximately 150 pages. Above all it cites J.R.R Tolkien himself (reproductions of tolkien's letters), making it a book where Tolkien presents himself and his ideas. In addition of a pure biography this books also tries to discuss tolkien's books and there internal connections. Next to these book descriptions follow tolkien's own considerations and reactions about his works. In this book there are also about 50 pictures.
J. R. R. Tolkien
Author: Fabian Geier
Type: Paperback
Estimate: 160 pages
Publisher: Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag
Language: German
Publication date: Aug 2009
ISBN-10: 3499506645
ISBN-13: 978-3-499-50664-2
Sources and more info (in German):
Wetterspitze | Fantasy Blog: Rezension: Fabian Geier »J. R. R. Tolkien«
Related Articles
In a quiet gallery in Oslo, two weathered pine planks carry one of the North’s greatest legends. Their carved figures—dragon, hero, sword, smith—once framed the doorway of Hylestad Stave Church in Setesdal. Around the year 1200, a Norwegian carver told the tale of Sigurd Fáfnisbani in wood long before it was written in Icelandic vellum.
Centuries later, J.R.R. Tolkien drew from the same deep tradition. His lectures, his retellings, and the design of his books reveal how this medieval doorframe echoed through his imagination. The journey from Hylestad to Tolkien is one of craft, storytelling, and the northern imagination carried forward across eight hundred years.
How do two minds from opposite sides of belief — one a devout Catholic mythmaker, the other a Norwegian pessimist — arrive at the same understanding of consciousness as a wound?
In this long-form reflection, written from the northern coast of Norway, Pieter Collier explores the unexpected dialogue between J. R. R. Tolkien and Peter Wessel Zapffe.
Through the fading light of The Silmarillion, he traces how Tolkien’s Elves, Fëanor’s fire, and the “long defeat” echo Zapffe’s philosophy of tragic awareness — and how both writers, in their own ways, transform despair into endurance, and endurance into art.
After years of quiet work behind the scenes, Tolkien collector Pieter Collier shares the story behind his move to Norway — a journey of illness, silence, and renewal. From his new home in Trollbergvika overlooking the Skagerrak, he reflects on why he withdrew, why he returns, and what lies ahead for the Tolkien Library and the lifelong work that began more than three decades ago.